WEST CHESTER — Two Chester city men are behind bars for their alleged roles in the shooting death of a 24-year-old borough man late last month, police said Wednesday.

Sergio Droz, 20, and Anthony Brightwell Jr., 24, were arrested for allegedly taking part in the slaying of Jamal Ahmed Scott around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 25 near Matlack and Union streets. Scott was sitting in a vehicle when he was shot once in the chest and later died after driving himself to the hospital, according to the West Chester Police Department.

According to a criminal complaint filed by arresting officers, investigators believe Scott was killed during a robbery. An unnamed witness told police that they had spoken with both suspects on the night of the murder, and that they had said they intended to purchase marijuana from Scott, the complaint said.

According to that witness, Brightwell entered Scott’s vehicle in the 200 block of South Matlack Street and allegedly fired one shot after the car was parked. Immediately after that shot, the witness told police, Droz walked to the driver side door and allegedly fired three shots at Scott, striking him once in the chest.

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A second unnamed witness also offered police a similar account of the shootings, according to the complaint. Video surveillance from the area shows Droz and Brightwell in the area before the shooting and shows Brightwell entering Scott’s vehicle just prior to the shootings, the complaint said.

Police said three spent 9 mm shell casings were recovered in the area, and three bullet holes were visible in the driver’s door of Scott’s vehicle. A fourth bullet hole was visible in the car’s roof, according to the complaint.

West Chester Police Chief Scott Bohn expressed hope the arrests would provide residents with a sense of security, and stressed the fatal shooting was not a random act of violence.

“This is an important arrest for the public’s feelings about their own safety and the performance of their police department,” Bohn said, noting that robbery was a likely motive. “This was not a random crime, nor a crime of opportunity.”

Police said Scott, of the 500 block of East Barnard Street, drove himself to Chester County Hospital for treatment after he was shot and was later transported by helicopter to Paoli Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Both Droz and Brightwell were charged with criminal homicide and a slew of related charges including firearms violations, conspiracy, and robbery. Both men were denied bail and transported to Chester County Prison, according to court records.

Bohn expressed concern over several recent incidents in the borough involving firearms. Several armed robberies and shootings have been reported in the borough in recent months, an amount that Bohn said was “not the norm” for West Chester.

“The full weight of this police department will be brought to bear in the investigation of these crimes,” Bohn said.

Both Bohn and Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan praised the police officers and detectives who coordinated the investigation that led to the arrests.

“This was an excellent and well-coordinated investigation by West Chester Police Department, the Chester County Detectives, the City of Chester Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies,” Hogan said. “These two defendants from outside of Chester County found out the hard way what criminals here already know, if you commit a crime in Chester County, you will be caught. We never slow down, we never take a day off, and we never quit until the bad guys are locked up.”

Scott’s slaying marked the first homicide of 2013 in Chester County. According to his Facebook page, he was a 2006 graduate of West Chester East High School.